When you are taking a RMD after age 70 1/2, I imagine that it has to go into a taxable account (.e.g. savings or investment). And since you've already (presumably) reached the point where 85% of your Social Security Benefit is taxed ... Wouldn't it make sense to withdraw an addition amount from your IRA, say just short of entering the next marginal tax rate, and roll that amount into a Roth IRA?

If that is permissable, doing so would lessen the negative affects of RMDs. Doing this year after year, one should reach a point that the RMDs are too small to cause SS to be taxed. And you could supplement those small RMDs with tax free money from your Roth.

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